CineTrek #4: British Museum

The British Museum is a public institution that is accessible for residents here in London as well as tourists around the world. Entering the exhibit was first overwhelming due to the amount of ancient artifacts and culture this museum has to offer. One can easily be lost within many chambers and different pathways to take, but if you take a deep breath and slowly examine the artifacts, the knowledge this museum provides will be a breath taker. Two artifacts that instantly caught my eye was both ancient and rare.
 

The Hoa Hakananai'a which means "lost or stolen friend" is a Moai statue which originated from Easter Island between the years 1000-1600 CE.  The material is made from a a dark grey-brown flow lava which lengthens about 2.42 meters. This magnificent was found in an Orongo ceremonial centre and had signs of movement before being placed in the ceremonial centre. These monolithic human figures were carved by the Rapa Nui people, residence of Easter Island. Easter Island is found in the pacific Ocean and is one of the most remote inhabited islands in the world. The people of Rapa Nui carved these basalt statue in order to commemorate important former chiefs who were perceived as divine, but was soon ceased to make these structures and were then abandoned. Years later a bird man cult emerged that replaced these worships of the Rapa Nui's moai. These inscriptions can be found on the back this specific statue. The Bird man motifs depict a central ritual where chiefs compete to capture the first sooty tern egg of the season. The chief who triumphs in victory would then be known as the Bird-man. Bird-man is perceived as a the representer of the creator god. The victor would live in exile for one year, shaving his hair and growing out his nails like talons. Two cultures found within one ancient statue during two different time periods, an interesting find that the British Museum proudly houses.

All information was found here

The Rosetta Stone is an ancient stone which possess inscriptions on its body in three versions of writing written on it. The material is a granodiorite which was discovered in 1799, created roughly in 196 BC. One of the most famous artifacts that the British Museum has to offer. The stone is not a complete piece, it is only a broken part of a bigger stone stone. This artifact is an important clue that helped experts learn to read Egyptian hieroglyphics. The decree is inscribed three times, the first line being hieroglyphics which was suitable for a priestly decree. The second line being Demotic which was the native Egyptian script used daily by the people, also known as the language of the people. Then lastly Ancient Greek which was the language of the rulers of Egypt. The inscription was written the same thing in three different scripts which allowed scholars to translate the whole thing due to scholars still being able to read Ancient Greek. This beautiful artifact was the key ti deciphering the hieroglyphs. 

information found here and notes I took down from Makey

Leaving this beautiful museum, its vast information provided historical context that will stay within my head to the very end. A museum worth while, allowing me to learn about ancient artifacts that I would never learn about on my own until I saw it in person. A memorable cinetrek that will definitely stay with me!